Main menu

Tag Archives: The Artist

My Uncle Rafael is the best new independent movie of 2014. And it is arguably one of the best new movies of the year, too. Originally released in 2012, its release this week on DVD marks the first time that it has seen the light of day in home release format. And while it obviously owes a certain amount of its success to Robin Williams’ 1993 hit movie Mrs. Doubtfire, it still manages to stand strong on its own merits as a movie that is at least somewhat original in its presentation. That is the central point of the movie’s success. It has all the heart and wit of Mrs. Doubtfire without Robin Williams’ cross-dressing and manic character portrayal. And while it does maintain at least some similarity in its approach to the family-fixing plotline, it approaches the issue through a multi-cultural avenue rather than that of a desperate father. Sign of the times, it would seem. Just as important to the movie’s enjoyment is the acting on the part of the movie’s cast. It would have been so simple for the cast, which is relatively well-known and experienced to treat the movie like the independent movie that it is. But each member of the cast approached this work with the same seriousness used in its other performances. The professional approach taken by the cast of My Uncle Rafael adds so much enjoyment to the movie. It adds so much especially considering the quality of the movie’s production values. While released via an independent studio—TNP Films—the movie’s production values are just as quality as anything released by any of Hollywood’s “Power 5” studios. That actor, along with the work of the cast and of the movie’s writers, makes My Uncle Rafael a complete joy for audiences of almost any age. Again, it isn’t the first time that the story presented here has been utilized for a movie. But its execution makes it a move well worth the watch.

The story that is presented in My Uncle Rafael is not the first of its kind. It is the story of an outsider coming into a family’s home and fixing said family. It has been used numerous times in the past. In 1993, it was presented in the hit movie Mrs. Doubtfire. Two years prior, it was used in pro-wrestling legend Terry “Hulk” Hogan’s family comedy Suburban Commando. And to a lesser extent it was also used in Vin Diesel’s 2005 flash-in-the-pan flick The Pacifier. It could even be argued that a similar formula was used way back in the 1989 John Candy dramedy Uncle Buck. Considering all of this, it leaves one wondering how many other ways in which the “family fix” formula could be used without it being stale and unoriginal. Enter My Uncle Rafael. My Uncle Rafael (not to be confused with Joe Pesci’s 1992 dramedy My Cousin Vinny—yes that bad pun was intended) takes the classic “family fix” formula and updates it by incorporating a multi-cultural theme into the story. Most interesting here is the fact that the duo used an elderly Middle Eastern man as the movie’s central figure. This was really interesting especially considering the tensions between Americans and those of Middle Eastern descent currently living in the United States. It’s an angle that few if any writers would even begin to attempt. For that alone, Pirhamzei and Yagemann are deserving of a certain amount of credit. That the duo didn’t try to make a direct light of Rafael’s nationality as a soap box makes the script even more worthy of applause. Omitting that from the script makes the rest of the story far more enjoyable and in turn more memorable.

The script behind My Uncle Rafael is not the first of its kind. That goes without saying. But there are aspects of the script that make it surprisingly enjoyable. As enjoyable as the movie’s script proves to be in the long run, it would be nothing without the abilities of the movie’s cast. John Michael Higgins (Yes Man, Happily Divorced, Bad Teacher) brings plenty of experience to the movie as do Missi Pyle (The Artist, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Gone Girl), Anthony Clark (Yes, Dear, Boston Common, Soul Man), Joe Lo Truglio (Role Models, Wreck-It-Ralph, Pineapple Express), Carly Chaikin (Suburgatory, The Last Song, In A World…), and Rachel Blanchard (Clueless—TV Series, 7th Heaven, Are You Afraid of the Dark). The competition between Higgins’ Damon and Clark’s Jack makes for plenty of laughs. It is a competition much like that seen in Mrs. Doubtfire. Missi Pyle is just as entertaining as she becomes caught up in the movie’s central love triangle all while trying to maintain her place as mother to her children. But it is really Vahik Pirhamzei’s portrayal of the loveable Uncle Rafael that really shines. Pirhamzei’s portrayal gives Uncle Rafael so much heart and warmth. He makes Rafael loveable not only to his fellow characters but to audiences, too. One can’t help but agree in watching Rafael that maybe the uncle really is at the center of everything. Only audiences that watch the movie or have watched it will get that reference. In hindsight, Rafael’s portrayal makes that line make perfect sense. That isn’t to take away from Pirhamzei’s cast mates by any means. Both the more well-known actors and the lesser known cast members add their own enjoyment to the story in whole, too. But it is his portrayal that holds everything together and makes each of his cast mates’ portrayals all the more entertaining with the end result of the cast in general doing its own part to show once again why My Uncle Rafael is this year’s best new independent movie and one of the year’s best movies overall.

The writing that went into My Uncle Rafael and the acting on the part of the movie’s cast both play their own important part in the overall success of this surprisingly entertaining story. Rounding out the presentation is its production values. Being that this movie is independent, one would think that it would not have the production values of its bigger name family friendly counterparts that have come before. But the reality is that its production values are quite high. That includes the movie’s cinematography, its backdrops, costumes, and all other elements that went into bringing the movie to life. Having such quality production values, it makes sense that the largely veteran cast would want its portrayals to be just as high quality. The combination of that high quality acting and equally high quality production values adds to the ability of audiences to suspend their disbelief and in turn allow themselves to be immersed into the story and thus offer it the chance that it quite well deserves. In giving it the chance that it deserves, audiences will agree that this movie is just as enjoyable as its more well-known predecessors and that it is one of this year’s best new movies as well as the year’s best new independent movie.

The Shadow is one of the most famed crime fighters of all time. He is the original caped crusader. His adventures amazed radio audiences long before Batman came along. Sadly, after Batman and his fellow comic book superhero friends came along, The Shadow seemed to be pushed aside. But in 1994, the world was re-introduced to The Shadow thanks to Universal Pictures. Two decades after The Shadow was introduced to a new generation of audiences, he is bring introduced to yet another new generation of fans thanks to a partnership between Universal Pictures and Shout! Factory.

The Shadow (Collector’s Edition) will be released on Blu-ray Tuesday, February 25th. The movie, starring Alec Baldwin (The Hunt for Red October, 30 Rock) in the starring role, tells the story of how The Shadow came to be. It co-stars Penelope Ann Miller (The Artist, Awakenings, Kindergarten Cop), Peter Boyle (Young Frankenstein, The Santa Clause, Everybody Loves Raymond), Sir Ian McKellan (X–Men, X–2 X–Men United, X3 The Last Stand), and many others.

Little White Lies is a very emotionally powerful and moving story. As powerful as it is, it is not a movie for anyone. The reason for this is that it is a direct reflection of life. Just because it is a French film doesn’t mean that the characters only reflect the French. Rather, it reflects humans in general. Whereas the BBC’s Keeping Up Appearances does this in a full on comical nature, this roughly two and a half-hour long allegory about the lies that we tell ourselves and others every day takes a far more dramatic turn on this subject.

Little White Lies was marketed as a dramedy of sorts. And while there are some humorous moments, the humor of those moments is slight at best. So it would be safer to consider this movie as leaning more in the direction of a drama than a dramedy. The movie’s drama rises from the central theme that the group of friends have to put their annual vacation plans on hold when Ludo (Jean DuJardin—The Artist) is hit by a box truck while leaving a bar one day. The drama starts right from the moment the group of friends leaves Ludo’s room at the hospital, their actions speak volumes. They all agree to cut their annual vacation short by two weeks so as to be able to see Ludo, thinking that he will be okay. The way that they act is almost that of people who feel inconvenienced by Ludo being in the hospital. It is so subtle. But it is there. So it’s evident from early on just how much this story reflects real life.

The reflection of life doesn’t end with the moment the friends leave the hospital. Throughout the time that the friends are together on their vacation, the lives that they live and that they use to impress one another are revealed. From an unhappy couple to a gay man that is in the closet to lies about their own situation in life, each member of the group mirrors people in everyday life. This ugly truth is eventually revealed in the story’s bittersweet ending. The story’s end is its most powerful moment, too. It leaves viewers to question what is really important in life. Is it one’s own reputation or one’s own family and friends that are the most important? Given, it is a foreign film. But the message is one that will resonate among all audiences. And because of that, it is worth at least one watch as emotionally charged as it is.

1.The Artist: While it originally made its debut overseas in 2011, it wasn’t until January 20th of this year that The Artist actually made its nationwide debut in theaters across the U.S. Before then, only the lucky few at the big festivals got to see it. That being the case, it should be considered a 2012 release. So what makes it 2012’s best? So much could be said. At a time when so much of what Hollywood churns out is prequels, sequels, and remakes, this story—distributed by Sony Pictures—went the total opposite. How simple and ingenious is it to make a silent film in a movie of major flash-bang-boom films? Because the movie’s only sound is its music, viewers are forced to watch. And the cast was force to really put on its best possible performance, rather than rely on everything else that most movies use to distract audiences from poor performances. The music is quite enjoyable, too. And of course, the general cinematography is just as impressive. It all combines to make for a movie that any movie lover should see at least once.

2.Mirror, Mirror: Some of you might shake your heads at this pick. But the reality is that this is really a fun and family friendly movie. Both boys and girls will enjoy it as will parents. While young Lily Collins (the daughter of superstar Phil Collins) is billed as the lead star here, it’s the dwarves who are really the story’s stars. Their antics make for more than their share of laughs. Though watching Prince Alcott (Armie Hammer—The Lone Ranger) put under the evil queen’s puppy love spell is pretty funny, too. It’s obvious that this spoof of the classic fairy tale was aimed both at boys and girls. With its mix of wit and charm, it will always be one of the best takes on the old Snow White story.

Courtesy: Disney Studios

3. The Odd Life of Timothy Green: This is another truly enjoyable family movie. The general story is one to which any parent can relate and will enjoy because of that. Though the concept of what happens with Timothy might be a little bit tough to discuss with younger viewers. The beautiful backdrop adds even more warmth to the story. And the cast’s acting makes suspension of disbelief so easy. Sure it’s sappy, emotional, and all that jazz. But that can be forgiven as it’s such an original and heartwarming story.

Courtesy: 20th Century Fox

4. Skyfall: This is where things begin to get a little bit touchy. Skyfall is by far the best Bond flick to come along in a very long time. That’s not to say that the previous two were bad. But this one brought back memories of the old school James Bond that everybody knows. It’s got the gadgets and the humor and none of the melodrama that weighed down the previous two Bond flicks. The only downside to the movie is that it tends to drag in the final act. Other than that, it is a nice return to form for the Bond franchise and gives hope for any future Bond films….that is at least if Christopher Nolan doesn’t get his hands on the franchise.

Courtesy: Marvel Studios/Walt Disney Video

5. The Avengers: The Avengers was a very nice way to cap off the build-up created by Marvel Studios with the recent bevy of comic book based movies. It had great special effects. Its story was simple and solid. And the shooting was equally impressive. Considering all the action going on, audiences weren’t left feeling dizzy to the point of wanting to walk out (or in the case of home release, just turn it off). But like so many ensemble cast movies, it suffered from a common problem. That problem was the movie’s run time. Most of the characters in The Avengers had already been introduced through their own separate movies. So there was no reason to re-introduce them all over again this time. A lot of that extra time could have been spared. Hopefully those involved have learned from that and will present viewers with a shorter movie in the second of the Avengers movies.

Courtesy: Warner Brothers Home Video

6. The Dark Knight Rises: I am just as much a comic book fan as anyone else out there. So it goes without saying that I was excited to see this movie. It did a good job of wrapping up the trilogy. The problem is that it did too much of a good job, as David Goyer and the Nolans tried too hard to cram everything into one movie. Word is that this latest installment of the Batman franchise left many people checking their watches when it was in theaters. It might have been better served to have been split up into at least one more movie because of everything added into the mix. And having what seems to be a lack of commentary on the new home release, fans can only guess what the logic was in cramming so much into one story. Much like The Avengers, the shooting and the special effects were great. So it has that going for it. But the writing was the story’s big problem. Here’s to hoping that whoever takes over the Batman franchise next (whenever it’s re-launched) won’t make the same mistake as Christopher Nolan and company.

Courtesy: 20th Century Fox

7. Prometheus: This semi-prequel to Ridley Scott’s hit Alien franchise was met with mixed reviews. There seemed to be no gray area here. Audiences either loved it or hated it. Truth be told, it worked quite well as both a prequel and as its very own stand-alone movie. Sure the special effects are different from those used in the original movies. But times are different. So viewers should take that into account. And the shooting was just as impressive. While it may not be as memorable as Scott’s previous works, at least audiences can agree that it’s better than the movies in the AvP franchise.

Courtesy: Universal Pictures

8. Les Miserables: This latest reboot of Victor Hugo’s classic story of love and redemption in one of history’s darkest eras is not bad. But it’s not great, either. Audiences who know the stage play will thrill at how director Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech) and his staff of writers paid tribute to the stage play both in its writing and its shooting. At the same time, Hooper tried so hard to pay tribute with his shooting style and the transitions that the whole movie felt dizzying to say the least. The shooting and transitions felt like nothing more than a bunch of cuts from one shot to the next. There was never a total sense of fluidity anywhere in the story. It was almost as if despite staying true to the stage play, the script for this latest big screen adaptation was written by someone with ADHD. Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway did a superior job with their performances. But despite that, odds are that the movie will sadly be remembered more for its flawed shooting and transitions than for its award-worthy performances. Nonetheless, it’s still a good movie for any fan of Les Miserables or for fans of musicals in general to see at least once.

9. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is without a doubt an original story. It’s next to impossible to find anything like it out there or present. But it suffers greatly from an identity crisis. It doesn’t know whether it wants to be a drama, a romance, or a little bit of both. It’s nice to see the simple message of something as simple as fishing being able to bring the world’s people together peacefully. But it really seemed to let the romance factor get too much involved. As a result, it got bogged down in itself. Had it not had the romance subplot, it might have been better.

Courtesy: Lionsgate

10. Arbitrage: It was once noted that three factors more than any other are the causes of crime. Those factors are: money, power, and sex. Arbitrage has all three of these. It’s an interesting movie. And it definitely wastes no time noting the latter of the trio of factors, as it lets audiences know that Robert Miller (Richard Gere) is having an affair with another woman. And also, Miller’s boss has a very firm talk with him early on letting him know that he knows about the financial inaccuracies that he’s causing. It doesn’t take long to know where this story goes. It’s something of a tried and true story. Add in this critic’s pet peeve of movies, the “whisper scenes” and it makes for a movie that as good as it is it could have been better. For those wondering, the “whisper scene” is exactly as it sounds (bad pun there). The “whisper scene” is one in which actors essentially whisper throughout the scene against overpowering music to make the scene more emotional and powerful. But put against the sudden transition to normal volume scenes (and above normal volume scenes), it becomes rather annoying as one has to constantly change the volume on one’s TV as a result of that. It’ll be interesting to see if it gets the Golden Globe for which it was nominated.

There you have it folks. That is my personalist of the year’s ten best major motion pictures. You are more than welcome to share whether you agree or disagree and what your top 10 list would look like. 2013’s already shaping up to be an interesting year. As the movies start to come out, I’ll have reviews of them, too. To keep up with the latest entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it or its companion page, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Reel-Reviews/381028148587141. Fans can always keep up with the latest entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Veteran actor Malcolm McDowell will receive a very special honor next week. McDowell, who is known for his roles in the likes of, A Clockwork Orange, Star Trek Generations, The Artist, etc., will receive the 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award from the sCare Foundation. The sCare Foundation (Suspense Community Allocating Relief and Empowerment) was founded by Malek Akkad. Akkad is the producer of the highly successful Halloween movie franchise. The foundation focuses on issues affecting today’s youth. Among the most pressing of those issues are homelessness and poverty.

In noting the reasons for offering the award to him, Akkad said of McDowell, “Malcolm is an amazing actor and true professional.” He added, “He’s always been an ardent supporter and we’re excited to be able to honor him in this way. Besides being one of our greatest actors, he has always shown unwavering support to our cause, and his generosity and compassion truly appreciated.”